Nottingham has largest pipeline of student accommodation outside of London
Nottingham has the largest pipeline of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) outside of London, according to new figures.
Research by the UK’s largest student accommodation search platform, StuRents, shows that Nottingham has 9,973 student bedrooms with planning permission or being built – second only to London with almost 15,000 – and way ahead of Leeds, which comes in a distant third with 6,666.
Meanwhile, Lincoln added the fifth-most PBSA beds for the 2021-22 lettings cycle with 1,176, behind only London, Sheffield, Brighton and Liverpool – and ahead of Manchester.
According to the latest UCAS data, the number of accepted students from the UK and outside of Europe is on the increase, having risen by 1.4% and 2.4% respectively, with higher tariff providers recording a year-on-year increase (1.3%) in acceptances, sending a reassuring signal to the investment community.
The number of acceptances from EU domiciled students, however, saw a significant decline of 50.4%.
Richard Ward, head of research at StuRents, said: “Despite the uncertainties caused by the pandemic and a significant decline in EU student acceptances, the UK PBSA sector remains a sought-after asset class among private and institutional investors.
“Certain university cities and towns attract disproportionately high volumes of PBSA investment due to a perceived shortage of stock [in those locations], but very often, those markets are far from being undersupplied. With that in mind, we would
encourage all those looking to deploy capital to do their due diligence and analyse fundamentals on a case-by-case basis to maximise returns on their investment and avoid disappointment.”
